Session 3 - The Gnomish City
Back in the gnomish vehicle, driven by half-elf bard Vanyel, human fighter Kiyambe opened the chest he had recovered from the ambushing kobolds among the gigantic bones. Human monk Mordecai and dwarven monk Marcia bickered over a small, golden magical ring that gave off an aura of protection, while Kiyambe held onto a healing potion and a magical oil of slipperiness. The mercenaries spent a couple more days cramped in the gnomish vehicle when, on the morning a week after they'd left the Malexian Hinterlands, they spotted two natural stone pillars in the distance. The vehicle approached the closer, rounded it and headed for the second before stopping in a shallow cave in the second spire. Mordecai looked around and the group decided it was safe before disembarking. Kiyambe, Mordecai and human warlock Wiley took stock of their position, looking for anything that would give clues to the location of the gnomish city. Marcia began to run her hands over the stone and, with a little digging in the sand, realized the cave was a tunnel carved into the pillar that continued downwards. Kiyambe began to get the idea that, perhaps, they were on top of the city. The group boarded the vehicle and had Vanyel drive them back to the first pillar. They examined it but found no other hint of an entrance. Marcia could see the vague shape of a stone dome on top of the spire, but little other suggestion of gnomes. Kiyambe asked if the vehicle could dig, and Wiley realized there was a lever that hadn't done anything. Vanyel flipped the ninth lever up, and the vehicle used its claws to dig in the sand, but didn't seem to have anywhere to go. Kiyambe figured there should be more to the palace or fortress they believed was there, so he began to walk back across the span with Wiley, together, the realized there seemed to be an enormous glass covering spanning a distance of the desert between the two pillars, and eventually found a shallow glass dome. They boarded the vehicle and drove it back to the second pillar, and when Vanyel hit the lever the vehicle began to dig down through the sand before landing. The sand was blown away, they felt the vehicle being lowered, and they exited into a long warehouse with other vehicles. Vanyel decided to hang back for the time being to guard the vehicle until the others sent for him. Kiyambe led the way out and he got his first view of the gnomish city of Galwan G'don. Signs pointed every which way, but what first caught the companions' attention was the unfathomably enormous cavern before them. The city was shaped like a bowl with a dome covering it. From the centre of the dome emanated a soft light that permeated the city, refracted through a system that must have been magical, for the light glowed as if the sun and blue sky were directly overhead. They stood on the first level, the highest, a ring that spanned from where they stood to the other side, with an open-air area between. The other side was a mile away. Below was another level, and another, and another spanning all the way down into a basin at the bottom, with what looked like a lake with an island at the centre. An entire city built within on the side of a crater. The level they were on was made up of buildings and roads, a couple of dozen deep, walkable from one side to the other in five or ten minutes. The buildings on the highest level appeared to be mostly made of glass, and within was vegetation of almost every species they could imagine and more. The Malexians recognized a few species from Malex, while Kiyambe caught sight of a few from his homeland, but many more they'd never seen before. They could see no gnomes in sight, but every single building seemed to be swarming with the oddest little creatures they could imagine. They were made entirely of metal and shaped like little orbs inlaid with gems and mechanical appendages. They moved about, watering the plants, pruning them. One caught sight of the group and ran up to you, beeping and whirring in excitment, what they assumed is its face taking in every single one of them, two little gems. Kiyambe, the only one in the group who could speak gnomish, asked the mechanical being to take them to its leader. It seemed to have little enough information as they questioned it, but when Kiyambe brought up finding Kein Oppenmeier the little mechanical being led Kiyambe and Wiley by the hand over to a large map of the city. It pointed at a spot on the map titled "ARCHIVES" on the 73rd level. Not wanting to give up their guide, the little mechanical being they named "Wally." It seemed confused, until Kiyambe asked Wally to come with them. It seemed to shut down a moment, then came back with the gears in its head whirring. After a moment one of its eyes flipped and got stuck between two colours, yellow and green. It seemed happy to accompany them. They set out for the "UPPER STATION," the largest building on that level, to see if there was a faster way then walking around the city. On their way they saw a large group of mechanical beings they learned were called "modrons" that had cordoned off a section of the city ahead of them. They seemed to not be stopping the group, but keeping whatever was within inside the area. Some of the group, especially Marcia, was hesitant about approaching, but Mordecai especially wanted to see what was going on. They passed the cordon and approached the house the action seemed focused on. They could see small lights bobbing inside the house. Kiyambe read a title placard that said "Doctor Lilian Reginald," with a little mouse logo beside it. Marcia, with her darkvision, looked in the entrance but could on see a room torn up and destroyed, with a small light in the far corner. The group was even more cautious about the trouble that might be within, but Mordecai was insistent they check it out, and convinced Kiyambe that it would make an excellent story to take back to his people. They entered the vestibule and found a rat sat in the corner with the top of its head cut off and a glowing brain. It just sat and watched them. Drawing on his arcane knowledge, Wiley realized the rat had been exposed to high levels of psionic energy, causing the glowing. He approached the psychic rat cautiously, attempting to make contact with the psychic rat, and two more rats joined the first, then two more. They seemed to be focusing on him, and he suddenly saw an image of a goggled helm shaped like a brain. The rats scurried into a rat hole, further into the building. The group pressed on, where they found a beautiful helm shaped like a brain with multi-lensed goggles attached, lit up with a hooded lantern that illuminated the item. Even more bizarre was the circles of rats, like the first, with their glowing brains exposed. They seemed to be worshipping the helm, bowing down to it. A collection of junk was piled up at the base of the helm’s stand, as if in tribute. A step into the room and the rats turn on the intruders, swarming. Kiyambe ran into the room and grabbed the helm, with the other three following in when the swarm of psionic rats hit the group with a spell, causing a temporary confusion to everyone but Marcia. She lashed out at the rats, breaking the swarms concentration, and the others quickly cut and hacked and punched and blasted the swarm into nothing. Making sure there were no more psionic rats the mercenaries went outside where one of the larger modrons consulted with Wally. After this the modrons entered and began to tear the house apart. The group found the Upper Station closed and shuttered, as they approached a gloomy, high-pitched voice announced: “By order of Mayor Miltoin, Galwan G’don public transit is closed until further notice. For further information please contact the Galwan G’don Transit Authority on level 73. We apologize for the inconvenience.” Mordecai used his whistle to attempt to pick the lock of the frontal glass doors, but it broke. Kiyambe sliced the lock chain off the door, setting off a klaxon. They rushed inside the station, soon pursued by five larger modrons. Finding no vehicles or ways to reactivate the station, the adventurers jumped onto the tracks and began to head down one of the many tunnels heading downward. The pursuing modrons watched them go, but didn't pursue. Later, while they camped out in the tunnels, Mordecai experimented with the helm Kiyambe had taken from the psionic rat house. He peered into Wiley's thoughts and head a strange voice, then peered further and saw a strange, supernal form over Wiley's shoulder. He pushed further and compelled Wiley, or the figure, to "reveal yourself." The form appeared over Mordecai's shoulder before Wiley pulled him aside and explained that he accessed his power through his noble heritage. Kiyambe, meanwhile, completed a ritual to draw an animal companion forth and, when he completed the ritual, heard a strange noise further on the city, the sound of a black panther from his homeland. He asked the group if they could investigate, so somewhere around the 80th level they exited the tunnels into a lower class entertainment district. They found a small, cramped zoo being tended by modrons, where Kiyambe found a black panther he had encountered in his homeland when he was younger. They devised a plan where Kiyambe would ask a larger modron with a keyring if it would open the panther's cage. Mordecai and Wiley then attempted to pull the keyring off through sleight of hand, with the warlock eventually liberating the keys. They opened the cage and the panther and warrior were joined as magical companions. Mordecai led the group back to what he believed was a pub, where Kiyambe read the sign "THE GOLDEN FILIGREE." Inside a modron staff welcomed them, and an announcement came through the pub: “Welcome to the Golden Filigree, Galwan G’don’s first fully automated pub, where the first round is always on us, built by me, Marni Merrymaker!” “Don’t leave without taking Marni Merrymaker’s drinking challenge, best entered with adventurous friends! We’ll match every piece of gold in the pot. Knock back one round every five minutes. Everyone walks away with a souvenir, but if you can make it through seven rounds you’ll take the entire pot!” Mordecai was down, and Kiyambe and Wiley joined him after debating the business merits of the pub, while Marcia and the panther looked on disapprovingly. Wiley started to throw up after two rounds of ale, while Kiyambe made it to the third. Mordecai hung on until the fourth round but became violently ill before being dragged upstairs by the staff, what seemed like it might be alcohol poisoning. The three companions received souvenir mugs from Marni Merrymaker's drinking challenge. ACTIVE QUESTS -find the Galwn G'don archives -find Kein Oppenmeier's weaponry workshop -find the mayoral offices -report back to the Victor liaison with their findings